A trifling injury. To send any one away with a flea in his ear; to give any one a hearty scolding.
Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
To Flay * To FleeceNathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang
John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes